Stuart Little Play Guide

Stuart Little isn’t just any mouse—he’s part of the Little family in busy Manhattan! Being small can be tricky, especially with the family’s grumpy cat Snowbell always ready to pounce, but Stuart is brave, clever, and always ready for an adventure.

First stop: the park! Stuart finds toy sailboats lined up for a big race. He teams up with Dr. Carey, a kind dentist, and together they get a fast boat called The Wasp ready to sail. But watch out—Captain Leroy and his boat, the Lillian B. Womrath, want to win, too! The race is wild and splashy, but Stuart steers The Wasp with speed and courage to victory!

Back home, excitement arrives right on the Littles’ windowsill—a tiny, sick bird named Margalo. Stuart and Mrs. Little take care of her, and soon she and Stuart become best friends. But danger lurks as Snowbell and his cat pals want to hurt Margalo! Stuart bravely zings an arrow right at Snowbell’s ear to keep her safe. Later, when Stuart is chased by a dog on the ice, Margalo swoops in like a hero and saves him.

But then terrible news comes. A pigeon overhears Angie, one of Snowbell’s sneaky cat friends, plotting with Snowbell to attack Margalo. The pigeon writes her a warning note, and Margalo has no choice but to fly away.

Stuart doesn’t give up. He packs treasures from home to remember his family and sets out to find her. At Dr. Carey’s office, he and a patient, Mr. Clydesdale, encourage Stuart to travel north. Dr. Carey lends him a speedy little model car, and off Stuart zooms on his next adventure!

On the road, Stuart is asked by a school superintendent to fill in as a substitute teacher. Instead of regular lessons, Stuart makes the classroom fun and imaginative—asking the kids to create new rules for the world like “No being mean,” “No swiping,” and “No hurting people’s feelings.”

Soon after, Stuart meets a friendly telephone repairman who has seen Margalo flying nearby. He also reports that Snowbell finally gives up the chase and is snoozing. Stuart kindly asks the man to take Snowbell back home—after all, the Littles must miss him!

And so, Stuart continues his journey—zipping off in his little car, searching for Margalo, and finding new adventures around every corner. The story leaves us with a question: Where will Stuart go next? Will he find his friend? With Stuart’s courage, cleverness, and heart, anything is possible!

LITTLE SHOES TO FILL

Imagine you’ve just woken up and you are very small, maybe as small as a mouse! When you are small, the world around you seems huge—a pencil might be as big as a tree or a cup of water might be more like a swimming pool!

Instruct your students to walk around the room, making sure there is plenty of space between each student. Inform your students that they will be using their voices and whole bodies to act out what it would be like to push, roll, drag, or carry large human-sized objects. You can then call out a variety of objects while they continue to move through the space, giving them 30 to 60 seconds to act out what it would be like to interact with each object. (Human sized objects from the story to consider: a ping pong ball, a wedding ring, a paper sail boat, etc.)

To expand on this activity, you can change the location of the movement. For example, you might say that they are carrying a baseball on the moon. How would that affect the object’s density, and therefore their movement? Some other examples might be walking through a sandy desert, swimming in the ocean, or moving up a steep mountain. At the end of the activity, give your students time to reflect on their perspective of being so small in a group discussion. What object was the hardest to move? Which was the easiest? Why?

KAS: TH:Pr4.1.1.b; TH:Pr5.1.2.a

PACKING LIST

In Stuart Little, our titular protagonist goes on an adventure in New York City. But he is a little mouse in a big city! Begin by giving each of your students a blank sheet of paper. Ask them the following question: if you were a mouse, what would you pack to bring on an adventure? Have students draw and/or write about their ideas. What kind of adventure would they like to go on? What sights would they want to see? How would they feel being surrounded by such large buildings? What items will they need to help them be successful on their trip?

Once your students are done, put them into small groups and have them share their packing list with one another. For added fun, have students act out packing for their trip. What does it look like to pack tiny clothes or fill up the gas tank for their car?

KAS: VA:Cn10.1.K; W.1.3

A STROLL AROUND NEW YORK CITY

In this activity, your students will get to participate in narrative pantomime and puppetry. Narrative pantomime involves students acting out a story as it’s read by the teacher. It’s a great way to embody a story, explore an environment, and develop understanding of a character’s experience.

First, you’ll need to have your class make their finger mouse puppets. Start by giving each student a cone mouse template found below (please note there are two mice per page so you can cut down on the number of copies you’ll need total). You’ll also need scissors, glue sticks, and crayons or markers for coloring. Have your students color and cut out the body, ears, and tail of their mouse. Then assist them in gluing edge A to edge B to make the body into a cone shape that will rest on their finger. Then glue on the tail and ears.

Once everyone has finished creating their mouse finger puppet, gather your students and allow them to find space in the room where they can comfortably move in place. To begin, ask the students to find a comfortable space in the room with their mice finger puppets. Next, read the brief story below to your students. Remember, to leave some time between sentences to allow the students time to explore the actions with their mice finger puppets and their bodies. Once you make it through this story, feel free to add to it or create your own!

Imagine you are a tiny mouse, sleeping in your tiny bed in your tiny home under the busy streets of New York City. You wake up, wiggle your nose, and climb out of bed. You do a big stretch when all of the sudden there is a very loud growl. It’s your belly! You pat your belly, and think about what you are going to have for breakfast. You decide to go to a nearby cafe. You put on your backpack, slip on your shoes and head outside to explore the big city. Woah! Big shoes stomp past! You scurry between the boots and sneakers, and find a nice trash can to hide behind. Beep beep! A yellow taxi zooms by–you’ll have to be careful! You tiptoe across the sidewalk, hopping over the cracks. Suddenly–Mmmmm! You can smell something tasty. You follow the scent when you spot a delicious piece of pizza crust on the ground! You pick it up and nibble it happily. Delicious! All of a sudden you hear a loud rumbling. Thunder! Good thing you are always prepared. You packed your rain coat in your backpack! You open your backpack, pull out your rain coat and slip it on, making sure the hood is on your head. As you walk along the sidewalk, you listen to the pitter patter of the rain, and you begin to dance to its sound! The wind is picking up now and you decide to hide under a nearby hot dog cart to wait out the rain. While you wait, you look up at the tall skyscrapers. Wow! Once the rain is gone, you hear another growl from your belly. Better keep moving! You scamper into a cozy cafe. When you get inside, you find some delicious cookie crumbs to nibble on. You take a moment, listening to the soft music in the cafe and watch those outside walking home. You decide it might be time for you to head home as well. Tired, you tiptoe home, careful to avoid more stomping shoes. You wiggle into your mouse hole, crawl into your bed and pull a warm blanket over your head. You close your eyes and dream of another big city adventure.

KAS: TH:Cr1.1.K.b, TH:Pr5.1.1a; TH:Pr6.1.1

STUART’S LITTLE MOUSE SEARCH

Click the link below and print off the Stuart Little-themed word search for each of your students!

KAS: RF.K.1.b; RF.2.3.

Legends of Literature: E.B White

Elwyn Brooks “E.B” White was born July 11, 1899 in Mount Vernon, New York. He was the youngest of the White family’s six children. His oldest brother, Stanley, a landscape architect, taught E.B to read, write, and appreciate nature. White would go on to attend Cornell University where he earned a Bachelors of Arts in 1921, focusing on writing. After graduating, he began working in the magazine industry, eventually becoming a well-known editor and writer at The New Yorker.

Although known for his adult essays, White eventually shifted his focus to writing children’s fiction in the late 1930s. Stuart Little was White’s first children’s book in 1945. White shared that he was inspired to write this story after dozing off on a train ride and dreamed of “a small character who had the features of a mouse, was nicely dressed, courageous, and questing.” He followed this by saying Stuart Little was “the only fictional figure ever to have honored and disturbed my sleep.”

Interestingly, in the original novel, Stuart is never explicitly referred to as a mouse. Unlike the 1999 film adaption of Stuart Little that depicts Stuart as a white, fuzzy stereotypical mouse, the book is never quite as clear. The novel opens with the birth of Stuart who is referred to as a “baby who looked very much like a mouse in every way.” Throughout the story, Stuart is referred to as a “boy,” “man,” or “person,” with features similar to that of a mouse but never directly addressed as a literal mouse.

Stuart Little would not be White’s last novel for young readers. White went on to write three novels for children that would become classics: Stuart Little (1945); Charlotte’s Web (1953); and The Trumpet of the Swan (1970). In 1970, he became a recipient of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the U.S professional children’s librarians. It is said to recognize his “substantial and lasting contributions to children’s literature.” There is no doubt that these classic novels will continue to inspire children’s literature, making E.B White one of the most iconic writers of the 20th century.

SCURRY & SKEDADDLE

In this activity, your students will step into Stuart Little’s tiny shoes and live like a little mouse having fun adventures in a big city. Start with a short movement warm-up, asking your students to explore how a mouse might move—tiny tiptoes, quick scurries, sneaky peeks, and playful hops.

Then, create an obstacle course for your student mice to maneuver through. Students could spin around a bat or stick three times in a Dizzy Dash, crawl under chairs or cones in the Scurry Under, leap across pillows or tape lines in Jump the City Streets, and toss beanbags of “cheese” into baskets during the Cheese Toss. Finish with a Mouse Victory Pose or a celebratory high-five at the end of the course. You can turn the course into a competition and time each student, put students in teams and have them work together to see which group can finish the fastest, or time the whole class and see if they can beat their record.

For added fun, have your students design other elements to add to the obstacle course. Encourage them to think like Stuart Little. What sorts of adventures did he go on in the play? Is there a station in the course where they must save Margalo or “sail” a boat from one end of the room to the other? What other obstacles might a mouse experience in a large city that could be incorporated into their course? Once groups have finished designing their element, add it to the obstacle course and let your students try it out. What worked? What was difficult? Allow groups to test and refine the course until it runs the way they’d like with a bit of challenge and lots of fun!

KAS: K.1.L1; VA:CR1.1.K; TH:Cr3.1.2.c

THE GREAT MOUSE PAL-ATHON

To lead this Friendship 101 game show, begin by dividing students into groups of four to create their own “Kindness Law.” Each group will invent a law and use it to act out a short commercial-style scene with a clear beginning, middle, and end, making sure everyone has a line. The scene should clearly show the new law in action and how it makes the world kinder. Once each group has gotten the chance to practice their commercial, decide an order for which their commercials will “air” or be performed as special commercial breaks during the game.

From there, split the class into two teams for the main game and have them come up with team names. Then have one student from each team come up for the chance to answer. Read one of the 10 scenarios listed below and let the teams answer—award points for friendly choices (+5) and subtract points for unkind choices (-5). Whichever student raises their hand first gets the chance to answer first.

SCENARIO	CORRECT ANSWER (+5)	INCORRECT ANSWER (-5)
Your friend drops their snack	Help them pick it up	Laugh at them
Your friend can’t reach the top shelf	Get something to help them	Ignore them
Someone is sad on the playground	Sit and talk to them	Walk away
A friend wants to share a toy	Wait your turn and share	Take it without asking
You see a new student alone	Invite them to play	Leave them alone
Someone makes a mistake in class	Encourage them to try again	Tease them
You see trash on the floor	Throw it away	Stuff it in your friend’s desk
Your friend is reading a book	Ask to look at it after they’re done	Snatch it away from them
A friend wants help tying their shoes	Help them	Walk away
Someone asks to join a game you’re playing	Invite them in nicely	Say “no” meanly

Continue playing and interspersing your students’ Kindness Law commercials throughout the game. Once the game is finished, ask students other ways they can show kindness for each scenario or have them create scenarios of their own.

KAS: TH:Cr1.1.3.a; TH:Pr4.1.3.a

CAPTAIN STUART’S SPLASH SQUAD

Part One: Buoyancy Experiment

Buoyancy refers to an object’s tendency to float whether in a liquid or air. For this experiment, you will need a large container of water and a selection of household items such as sponges, paper clips, plastic bottles, buttons, coins, rubber bands, crumpled paper, etc. Then on either the white board or a large piece of paper, make two columns. Write “SINK” at the top of the first column and “FLOAT” at the top of the second.

Then choose an object and show it to your class. Ask them if they think the object will sink or float. Take note of each student’s prediction. Then test the object by placing it in the container of water. Be sure to let your students see the results and discuss why an object sinks or floats. Write the name of the object in the appropriate column “SINK” or “FLOAT” to keep track of your findings. For an added challenge, have your students work together to help objects that float sink and vise versa.

Part Two: Sailboat Race

Now that you’ve explored objects that float and sink, it’s time to put one of the best buoyant materials to the test: pool noodles! To craft your own pool noodle sailboat, you’ll need the following materials:

Crayons or Markers
Stickers or other decorative add-ons
Pool noodles
Card stock or foam craft sheets
Packaging tape
Utility knife
Scissors
Wooden skewers

1. Start by using a utility knife to cut your pool noodle into two-inch slices for you students.
2. Cut the card stock or foam sheets into squares then cut those squares in half diagonally to make two triangles. These will serve as sails for the boats.
3. Have your students decorate their sails with crayons, markers, stickers, or other decorative add-ons. Once decorated, cover the sails with packaging tape if you used cardstock to make them water resistant.
4. Poke two holes all the shortest edge of each sail, one at the top and one at the bottom. Thread the wooden skewer through the holes in the sail and poke into the pool noodle slice. Tip: If your boat is too top heavy, trim the skewer or the sail to make them smaller. Also ensure the longest edges of the sail are turned to be over the pool noodle (like in the included image).
5. Finish the top of the sail with a little flag which can be made from washi tape, cardstock, or other fun materials.

Once each student’s boat is complete, your nautical fleet is ready to race. Allow students to choose an official name for their boat and a captain name for themselves. Then set up bins of water for the Sailboat Race. Split students into two teams and have them blow through straws to sail their boats across the water in a relay race. Each teammate will race their boat; the first team to get all their boats across wins!

KAS: K.1.L1; VA:Cr2.1.1

WHISKER TALES

Using the link below, print off the mad lib and Stuart’s New Ending worksheets for each of your students and allow them to imagine exciting new possibilities of adventures for Stuart Little!

KAS: C.2.3; TH:Pr4.1.3.a

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